Not Me: Khir Toyo

Former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has flatly denied any role in the recent seven-day detention of DAP parliamentarian Teresa Kok under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

She had openly named Khir (right) as one of the ‘culprits’ behind her arrest, but he said it was unfair of her to level any such allegation.

“I never agreed to Kok being arrested under the ISA,” he told Malaysiakini.

“The issue is now under police investigation. Just let the police investigate it and see what they have to say.”

He also refused to comment on Kok’s release, which took place on Friday afternoon without any conditions being imposed by the police.

Kok (centre in photo), who is also a Selangor exco member, was arrested on Sept 11 under Section 73(1) of the ISA, the same day as blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and Sin Chew Daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng.

Police claimed that Kok, a three-term MP and Kinrara state assembly representative, had been held because she had been stoking religious tensions, which she denied.

Quick Clarification

On Sept 9, the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia had quoted Khir as urging the Selangor government not to agree to purported moves by “a certain party” to disallow the azan (Muslim call to prayer) via loudspeakers from mosques in Puchong and Kota Damansara.

However, the Masjid Kota Damansara committee clarified of its own volition that a damaged amplifier had resulted in the call to prayers being made without the aid of a PA system.

The Masjid Kinrara committee, meanwhile, denied that Kok was involved in a residents’ petition seeking the volume to be lowered during the morning sermons.

On the pembelamelayu blogspot, Khir was quoted on June 26 as alleging that Kok had submitted a petition to Umno’s Seri Serdang state assemblyperson Satim Diman which purportedly described the azan as “disturbing the peace” of local residents. The blog also alleged that the petition requested for the call to prayer there to be “toned down”.

While in custody, Kok had instructed her lawyer Sankara Nair to lodge a police report on her behalf against the newspaper, its senior editor Zaini Hassan and Khir for having caused her detention.

Later, deputy inspector-general of police Ismail Omar said Kok was released after investigations showed that there was no reason to detain her any further.

TP - sebelah kiri ni komen dari Khir Tempe Toyo.

Think bout it... who do you think behind?